The Outdoor Community Responds to Outdoor Retailer’s Controversial Move
Image: Bears Ears National Monument Vincebradley on Adobe Stock
In a March 23 announcement that stunned many in the outdoor community, Outdoor Retailer (one of Emerald Expositions’s many trade shows) has communicated their decision to move their leading industry trade show back to Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2017 the trade show had moved to Denver due to concerns from the outdoor industry that Utah’s state officials were taking actions that jeopardized the state’s ancestral and public lands.
Here is a brief recent history of those actions: In 2016, Utah state officials fought back against President Obama’s protection for Bears Ears National Monument, and reportedly pressured President Trump’s subsequent rollback of these protections. In 2021, Utah state officials issued a statement opposing President Biden’s proclamation to restore protections for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments, areas that are both sacred ancestral lands of local tribes and recreational areas for outdoor enthusiasts. There are also indications that Utah state officials are building a lawsuit in an attempt to reverse President Biden’s executive order.
In the trade show’s announcement, Outdoor Retailer says that “leaving after 2017 has not brought the change we had hoped for, so we will push back, not pull back. We firmly believe that staying engaged and collectively contributing to the ongoing discussion, no matter how difficult, is far more constructive.” The announcement adds that they are committed to using revenue from the next three years to fund programs that support outdoor recreation and protect public lands.
These promises might not be enough to keep top outdoor gear retailers at the show.
In February, prior to the announcement, 24 members of the Conservation Alliance, including REI Co-op, Patagonia, North Face, KEEN and Smartwool, penned a letter stating that they would boycott the industry’s largest trade show if it moved to Utah because of the state government’s position on public and ancestral Indigenous lands.
“So long as Utah’s elected delegation continues its assault on public lands and the laws designed to protect them, Emerald faces a choice: move the show to Utah and ensure that many of the key players in the outdoor industry will not return to Utah with the trade show, or work with the industry leaders to shape a future trade show that balances the interests and values of industry members and partners,” the statement reads.
Since the news about the move broke, Patagonia and REI Co-op have reiterated their position.
“We love Utah, but Patagonia’s choice to return for future shows will depend on the Governor’s actions. I’m sure other states will happily compete for the show by promoting public lands conservation,” stated Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia’s founder, on their website.
In a statement reported on Footwear News, REI Co-op’s Executive Vice Principal and Chief Community Officer Ben Steele said, “As we made clear in February, REI will not participate in any OR trade show in the state so long as Utah’s leaders persist in attacking our public lands and the laws that protect them. We remain committed to our employees, members, vendors and communities in the state.”
The Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), a non-profit trade organization for the outdoor industry, which has been the title sponsor of Outdoor Retailer for over 25 years, also commented on the move. Their statement reads, “In a recent survey, our members ranked advocacy around creating and protecting public lands as the number one benefit they sought from their trade association,” and that they “expressed the concerns of many of our members regarding a move of Outdoor Retailer to Utah while the governor of Utah is considering a lawsuit around the designation of Bears Ears National Monument and the Antiquities Act.” (presumably to Emerald Expositions)
Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, a non-profit organization comprised of leaders from the Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe , Pueblo of Zuni, and Ute Indian Tribe criticized the move in an Instagram post saying “We are dismayed and disappointed that Emerald X has ignored the many voices, including Utah residents and broader U.S. public, who favor protections for Bears Ears and Grand Staircase and have opted to return @outdoorretailer Show to Salt Lake City.
While we agree that Utah is a world-class example of recreation potential, and remain eager to collaborate with the State to instruct Respectful Visitation and recreation practices, we find it contradictory that Emerald X would choose to return to Utah for the Show while Utah politicians remain intent on dismantling the protections for #GSENM and #BENM”
While there is no certain future for these sacred Utah public lands, there is hope to be found in the fact that leaders from an entire industry are taking a strong stance to protect the environment.
